Newly Found Carnivore Already Threatened with Extinction

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A speckled, cat-sized mammal has been identified in the nick of
time, as its discoverers say the carnivore is one of the most
threatened in the world.

Known as
Durrell's vontsira, or Salanoia durrelli , the
animal hides out in the Lac Alaotra wetlands in central
eastern Madagascar. It weighs just over a pound (just over 0.5
kilograms) and belongs to a family of carnivores known only from
Madagascar.

The animal was first seen swimming in a lake by researchers
from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on a field trip
surveying bamboo
lemurs (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis) in 2004.
After briefly examining the it, the team suspected they had
witnessed a new species and so took photographs.

Then, they compared what they had seen with specimens of
the brown-tailed vontsira (Salanoia concolor) in the
Natural History Museum's collections, confirming the animal was a
new species. The brown-tailed vontsira is now the closest
relative of the new species.

"We have known for some time that a carnivore lives in the
Lac Alaotra marshes, but we've always assumed it was a
brown-tailed vontsira that is also found in the eastern
rainforests," said Fidimalala Bruno Ralainasolo, a conservation
biologist working for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust who
originally captured the creature. "However, differences in its
skull, teeth, and paws have shown that this animal is clearly a
different species with adaptations
to life in an aquatic environment."

The habitat of Durrell's vontsira is threatened by
agricultural expansion, burning and invasive plants and fish, the
researchers say. And while there's no official word yet on the
conservation status of the new species, it is likely to be
threatened as a result of its small population size, restricted
distribution (only found in Madagascar) and the impact of habitat
degradation.

"This species is probably the carnivore with one of the
smallest ranges in the world, and likely to be one of the most
threatened," said study researcher Frank Hawkins of Conservation
International.

The findings are detailed in the latest issue of the
taxonomic journal Systematics and
Biodiversity .